How to retrieve hood bolts from inside body panels?

[GrimJack]

:icon_evil I was spraying down the engine bay last night. The hood is off, and the bolts for said hood were just lying where the hinges are.

Two of the litter buggers washed down the water drain inside the front fender. They did NOT wash out the bottom of the car.

Any ideas how to retrieve these?

 

[JT87NA]

:icon_evil I was spraying down the engine bay last night. The hood is off, and the bolts for said hood were just lying where the hinges are.

Two of the litter buggers washed down the water drain inside the front fender. They did NOT wash out the bottom of the car.

Any ideas how to retrieve these?

If they are near the back of the front fender just take the lower rocker panel off and I believe you can just unbolt the fender at the bottom, should be able to snag them with a coat hanger if that is where they are....an easier solution would be to find out what size they are and go purchase some from the local hardware store

 

[Mr.PFloyd]

heh as long as theyre not loose i did this. when i droppes some stupid bolts inside the bumper as well. so what i did was got 6 of my 100 pound friends to push the car in reverse then i braked hard. the things just fell right out and i was off with my life. but i keep on dropping them. like yetserday while installing my deck, i dropped like 3 in that stupid hoel never to be seen again

 

[Supra Blues]

Maybe take the front wheel wells out.

 

[shaeff]

get one of those little super magnets on a stick/bendy wire.

-shaeff

 

[souprat]

i have a grabber tool for this stuff. a its about two feet long and has three fingers on the end tha are good for picking up nuts and bolts. its also bendable.

 

[1TuffSupra]

There is also a tool that extends much like an antennae with a magnet on the end. That thing has saved me trips to the store a countless amount of times.

 

[JT87NA]

Did you get it yet Grim? Good luck.

 

[Idealsupra]

if they dropped where i think you said they did....you should be able to take off the mudflap and dig them out of all the leaves and shit that are in there im sure...

 

[GrimJack]

I haven't gotten it yet. Can't see it, so the remote pickup / magnet ideas don't work. If the mudflap thing works, I'll be happy as a clam, thanks for the ideas, everyone.

Spent most of the day today tearing all the fragile plastic wire loom off the engine wiring harness and replacing it with new stuff... I just need to find about 3 feet of 3/4 inch loom to finish it off, then zap strap it to hell and back.

 

[Jason T]

the mudflap thing works

 

[drunk_medic]

A magnetic "pickup tool" can work wonders. So can a pair of mechanical fingers. I work on aircraft, and FOD [foreign object debris] is a major issue. If you lose something, finding it is a must. Those two items, along with a foldable/positionable mirror are a must for little accidents.

 

[supra90turbo]

mudflap!
it happened to me. remove mudflap, remove lower fender bolt, swing outward while placing hand under fender to catch lost bolts.

reassemble.

 

[GrimJack]

Excellent! I'll be doing this shortly anyhow, I just picked up a new set of mudflaps, just have to get them painted to match the car...

 

[supra90turbo]

damnit... i need new ones too..
did you get them new? as in from the dealer? or new to you?

 

[albertmdh]

Im pretty sure my mudflaps are all black, did this change on the 89+? I keep hearing about people having to paint them... Mine look great black. I was going to say Hold a fairly powerful magnet to the outside of the fender, and the bolts should cling to it, allowing you to pull them back up to where they fell down... make sure you put a washcloth or something between the magnet and your paint, of course. But the mudflap thing sounds easier, probably.

 

[GrimJack]

Nope, new to me. Picked them up from a member here. Oddly enough, a local buddy of mine just sold a set as well - they seem to pop up pretty regularly on the for sale areas, or just email the guys parting entire cars.

 

[GrimJack]

albertmdh, the top half of them are painted to match the car.

 

[albertmdh]

doh... idiot points.

 

[GrimJack]

Got my bolts back out today. Pretty easy - pulled off the mudflap, then bent my magnetic retriever around the corner to snatch them back from the throes of obscurity.

There were some NASTY big spiders living in there. What the hell do they think they can eat, hiding inside my body panels?